Who are we?

At aparto, we're more than just student accommodation, we're a community that acts as a home-away-from-home for students across the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Spain. We understand that university life is a significant transition for many, often marking the first time they've lived away from their families. That's why we strive to make aparto not just a place to stay, but a vibrant, supportive environment where students can make lifelong friends, discover new possibilities, and have experiences that will shape their futures.

Role Profile

The Director - Operational Mobilisation Europe is accountable for the successful delivery of all new property mobilisations across the European portfolio, including developments, acquisitions, and third-party management contracts.

This role ensures all assets are operationally ready, commercially aligned, and fully integrated into the aparto operating platform from day one. Acting as the central lead across Operations, Asset Management, Development, and central functions, the role delivers mobilisations on time, on budget, and to aparto’s brand and service standards.

The role is critical to protecting revenue, reducing operational risk, and ensuring a seamless transition for both residents and teams during periods of change.

• Lead mobilisation of new developments (pre-opening), acquisitions, and third-party management contracts
• Own end-to-end mobilisation delivery across multiple sites and countries
• Ensure full operational readiness including systems, staffing, suppliers, compliance, and customer journey
• Act as the key interface between Development, Asset Management, and Operations
• Attend development and site meetings to embed operational requirements early in the lifecycle
• Ensure consistent implementation of operating procedures, systems, and standards across all sites
• Coordinate cross-functional teams including IT, HR, Marketing, Finance, and Facilities
• Support recruitment and onboarding of site teams for new properties
• Lead TUPE transfers where applicable, ensuring smooth integration of incoming teams
• Ensure all teams are trained on aparto systems, standards, and culture prior to opening
• Act as a bridge between central/country functions and site teams during transition
• Develop and manage mobilisation budgets for each asset
• Identify cost efficiencies and procurement opportunities without compromising quality
• Develop and maintain mobilisation playbooks and standard operating procedures
• Support wider operational excellence initiatives across the platform
• Ensure all assets are fully operational and ready for leasing in line with mobilisation timelines
• Support leasing strategy execution pre-opening to achieve occupancy targets from day one
• Identify and mitigate risks to revenue delivery during mobilisation
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Asset Management to ensure correct positioning, pricing, and readiness
• Embed aparto brand standards and resident journey from day one
• Support strong foundations for NPS, retention, and customer satisfaction

Person Specification

• Proven experience mobilising assets within student accommodation, residential, or hospitality across multiple European markets
• Strong project and programme management capability across complex, multi-site environments
• Experience across development, acquisition, and operational integration
• Knowledge of TUPE and multi-country labour environments desirable
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance cost, quality, and timelines
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across senior and operational levels
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities
• Self-motivated, adaptable, and solutions-focused
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences
• Willingness to travel extensively across Europe and support key mobilisation periods

At Hines, we strive for excellence as a leading global real estate investment manager, driven by our by our belief that real estate is fundamentally about people. Our diverse portfolio spans $93.2 billion¹ of assets across such property types as living, office, retail, mixed-use, logistics and life science projects – all designed to enhance value, connection and inspiration. Our strategic approach integrates local expertise with global knowledge, taking calculated risks aligned with our convictions to exceed expectations and tailor solutions to our clients' needs.

While our projects are renowned for enhancing cities and pioneering sustainable practices, we recognize that the true driving force behind Hines' success is our 5,000 dedicated employees in 30 countries who draw on our 65-year history to build the world forward. This is why we prioritize investing in our people, offering comprehensive training, competitive compensation, robust benefits and generous vacation packages. By centering our focus on the growth and wellbeing of our team, we cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone, including our clients, can thrive.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization and RIA AUM as of December 31, 2023.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

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